Early defibrillation improves survival for patients
suffering cardiac arrest from ventricular
fibrillation (VF) or ventricular tachycardia (VT).
Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) should be
placed in locations in which there is a high
incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA).
The study objective was to identify high-risk, rural
locations that might benefit from AED placement. A
retrospective review of OOHCA in a rural community
during the past 5.5 years was conducted. The OOHCAs
that occurred in non-residential areas were
categorized based on location. Nine hundred, forty
OOHCAs occurred during the study period of which 265
(28.2%) happened in non-residential areas. Of these,
127 (47.9%) occurred in healthcare-related
locations, including 104 (39.2%) in extended care
facilities. No location used in this study had more
than two OOHCAs. Most (52.1%) non-residential OOHCAs
occurred as isolated events in 146 different
locations. Almost half of the OOHCAs that occurred
in non-residential areas took place in
healthcare-related facilities suggesting that
patients at these locations may benefit from AED
placement. First responders with AEDs are likely to
have the greatest impact in a rural community.